Is motocross riding dangerous? The short answer is yes, it can be a dangerous sport, but you can minimise your risk to injury and accidents greatly.
The sport of motocross riding began to pick up steam in the early 1990’s and is world renowned for being a mentally and physically demanding sport.
In the sport of motocross strength and versatility are important skills that you need to hone in on, as in a race you’ll be required to move and be pragmatic with the tracks provided to you. Moreover having a good set of lungs is important as you’re in of control a 250 LBS machine.
Unlike other Motorsports, such as a rally car racing where you’re provided with safety equipment such as seat belts and a roll cage, in motocross these designs are not possible. Thus means that if you get into a sticky situation on a dirt bike, there is a high likely hood of being injured.
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Are Dirt Bikes Dangerous?
You’ll find that a dirt bike in a novice’s hands can be a dangerous mode of transport, which makes motocross riding dangerous. This is partly due to their fast acceleration capabilities, even on variable surfaces and difficult environments.
A great way to prevent a large proportion of these injuries is through teaching, experience and the correct protective gear, such as a dirt bike helmet and a body armor. Without the protective gear, motocross riding can be dangerous.
Is Motocross A Dangerous Sport
Ultimately it is down to the rider, as you’ll be able to make a fair judgement on how hard you can ride on certain terrains and tracks, relative to your own skill set. By this we mean to say that if you’ve been riding only for a matter of days, its best that you should tackle loose terrain tracks or steep hill side environments.
Motocross tracks can be difficult as they feature a lot of dirt jumps, which raise the chances of you having an accident. Which is not surprising when you read articles where they state over half of dirt bike accidents are caused on tracks.
A final point will be that the chances of accidents and injuries increase when you begin to compete, as you push you and your bike harder against other competitors on the track. This has led some of the sports greatest stars being injured and cutting their career short, more on this can be found on our article on the worlds greatest motocross riders of all time.
Common Motocross Riding Injuries & Accidents
Whilst competing in motocross racing, you’ll soon overtime realise that your whole body is at risk to injury. This is due to the strain and impacts that your body faces from jumps, even if you’re the fittest person on the track.
Even with all the protective gear, you’re still not 100% guaranteed from injuries as motocross is a dangerous sport.
Injuries can range from a pretty minor one like bruising or a pulled muscle which can be fix with home products such as Aspirin. However if you find yourself getting into a serious bump, you could be at risk from needing long term rehabilitation, surgery and even give up riding due to long term harm.
Down below we’ve put some of the common injuries that are associated with motocross:
1. Broken Collarbone
A broken collarbone isn’t unique to motocross, its a fairly common injury across the board in most sports. This is because of a persons natural reaction to place their hands in front of them, when they fall.
The problem is that in a motocross race, you’re travelling at a high speed, which leads to you exerting more force into your hands during a fall. This leads to a high chance of you breaking your collarbone.
If this does happen to you, you’re looking at least 8 weeks for recovery and limited movement.
2. Broken Wrist
A broken wrist as you can imagine can be a frequent injury, as a rider will use their outstretched hand in an event of a fall. Moreover a broken wrist can be a complex injury as the bones can break into several sections, making recovery difficult and more time-consuming(around 8 weeks again).
Ultimately, if you plan out the track, this can help reduce the chances of a forward fall during a race. Plus the purchase of a wrist guard could prevent your wrist in an event of a accident.
3. AC Joint Sprain
Typically shoulder injuries are awkward and complicated for recovery. The AC joint is connected to your collar bone, shoulder blade and ligaments. These are all effected in an event of a ball and can be very painful.
There is no set time for recovery, as all case range greatly and most cases require many moneys of recovery and rehabilitation. Similar to other avenues of advice, it is suggested to be aware of other riders and the track you’re riding so that you avoid all of the sudden falls or stops which can lead to it.
4. Cracked Ribs
Typically in a fall if you haven’t braced with your arms, you may aim to roll to your side which can put your ribs at risk. Having cracked ribs can be quite common from falls, although this risk can be lowered due to the use of dirt bike body armor.
Moreover, recovery times can be very dependant on how severe the injury is and how much you can immobilise yourself for recovery.
5. Sprained Knee
A final injury to mention, that’s fairly common is a knee sprain. This is can be either a rupture or a tear in your knee ligaments. These can be due to large impacts, that provide large amounts of stress to the knee.
Sometimes a sprained knee can be healed within weeks, other times can be longer. Tears to your ACL or a blown out knee are commonly treated with surgeries, although a dirt bike knee brace can be used to prevent these injuries.
How To Prevent Motocross Injuries
Motocross riding is dangerous as its an extreme sport, but similar to other sports with risks, they can prevented or at the least lessened through different manners. These manners include:
Protective Dirt Bike Gear
When you begin motocross, you’ll notice that there is an assortment of protective gear on offer to you which includes:
- Helmet
- Dirt Bike Boots
- Neck Brace
- Knee Guards
- Knee Braces
- Body Armor
- Gloves
- Goggles
Having a suitable dirt bike helmet is probably the most essential piece of gear that you should definitely purchase. It’s essential that when you are purchasing a dirt bike helmet, that they have safety certification so that it guarantees your safety.
Additionally, having a solid pair of dirt bike boots will help you protect your ankles and feet, whilst giving them great support for those long rides. Similarly a decent set of motocross goggles will enable your eyes to be protected from dust, dirt and gravel that may flick up from other rider’s dirt bikes.
A knee brace is a useful bit of gear that will prevent a riders knees from buckling or contorting, plus you can have a knee guard to prevent any debris hitting your shins. Final bits of gear that are more essential are neck braces and body armor which can protect you against significant injuries such as fractured ribs or a broken collar bone.
Ride With Your Friends
It’s always good to rider with your friends, this is because they can provide you with tips and look out for your safety. Moreover by riding with someone else, this can motivate you even more to better your skill set with a little friendly competition.
Check Out The Motocross Track Beforehand
This may be a simple tip, but its very effective. This is because going flat out, blindly onto a new course is pretty stupid as it can lead to you over-shooting a jump or corner and causing an accident.
Make Sure Your Dirt Bike Is Serviced
A final avenue that you should check is the dirt bike itself. This is because you’re going to be relying on it to deliver top quality performance and act how you’re anticipating it to be.
This means that you should check all your components of your dirt bike such as its tires, the chain, oil levels and if there’s any leaks. If a dirt bike is well-looked after, it means that you won’t have to expect any failures which could lead to accidents.
Conclusion – Is Motocross Riding Dangerous?
Is motocross riding dangerous? Yes motocross can be dangerous, although its risks can be lessened and you can prevent the chances of you being injured greatly.
It’s a risky sport in terms of the variable terrains, gradients and other participants that you can expect on the track, although if you follow our tips you can make motocross much safer for yourself.
Despite these potential injuries and dangers, motocross is one of the most thrilling and enjoyable sports out there for anybody. With the correct dirt bike protective gear, correct training and awareness you should be on your way to riding safely!
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